Ty and his mother, Kelly Prentice-Allen, brainstormed ways they could help when they decided to use one of their pigs. The plan was to have a local high school student raise and show the pig, then use the proceeds from the sale of the pig in the auction to help ease the Cowell-Lyons family’s financial burdens.

According to Keegan’s YouCaring page, the pig – a 280-pound Duroc named Courage – was raised by Shelly McIntyre, a local senior and FFA member.

At the Alameda County Fair in early July, everyone waited anxiously as the time came for Courage to enter the sale ring turn. According to the Pleasanton (Calif.) Patchin an article here, the price for the special pig quickly soared well beyond the average price of $7.28.

The final price for Courage: $400 per pound.

Click here or on the video below to watch the inspiring final moments of the auction that ended with a standing ovation:

The crowd raised an addition $42,281 after the auction to bring Courage’s final total to a jaw-dropping $150,281. Needless to say, fair officials called the auction “amazing.”

But the amazing kids showing pigs across the country are full of surprises – and donations. As one of our readers said on our Facebook page of a similar fundraiser, “pig people are just incredible.”

In a separate fundraiser, a Wisconsin boy named Blake decided to donate $500 of the proceeds from his pig’s sale at the Kewaunee County Fair to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin just a few weeks after Keegan’s event.

“After the hog sold, an unbelievable outpouring of generosity happened and THIRTY more businesses donated $500 to Blake's donation, making a donation of $15,500,” she wrote. “What a generous and amazing agriculture community we have in Kewaunee County. Way to go Blake, you really made something special happen today.”

We agree with our reader – pig people really are just astounding.

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About the Author:

Angela Bowman, Associate Editor, PORK Network

Angela joined PORK Network as staff writer in 2010, and today handles many aspects of the magazine’s online and print presence. From cattle to hogs, from corn to wheat, her farming roots trace to generations of hard-working farmers – her great-great grandfather helped bring turkey red wheat to the Midwest. Her family still grows corn and soybeans on their Nebraska farm dating back four generations. She graduated with honors from Ottawa University with a B.A. in Communications and combines her rural upbringing, precision ag experience and agricultural background to create fresh, informational articles that are both relevant and interesting.